In 2022, the generation and installation of renewables in Navarre stagnated, but 1,800 MW advanced in the pipeline.

– According to Red Eléctrica Española, in 2022, the percentage of renewable energy generation in Navarre fell by 5 points compared to 2021. 45.4% of energy had a renewable source.

– On the other hand, the approval of environmental impact statements for various renewable energy projects will allow the implementation in Navarre of farms that will generate an additional 1800 MW of power.

Pamplona, 21 March 2023.
2022 will not be remembered as a great year from the point of view of renewables in Navarre as, as a whole, renewable generation sources contributed 45.4% of the electricity produced, almost 5 points below the percentage for 2021, according to data published by Red Eléctrica.

This decline in the weight of renewables is caused by the combination of two factors: the increase in total generation, which in 2022 was 6% higher than in 2021, and the stagnation of wind and solar generation. Wind generated the same as in 2021 (3,202 GWh) and accounted for 34.8% of Navarre’s generation mix, while solar photovoltaic grew by a meagre 2% to 295 GWh, falling to 3.2% of the mix. It was gas that covered the increase in generation, growing by 22% in 2022.

Compared to the national figures, Navarre still has a higher share of wind power in the mix (34.8% compared to 22.1% nationally), while solar photovoltaic is clearly below (3.2% compared to 10.1% nationally). Interestingly, March was the month with the highest wind power production, although it was in April when wind power reached its greatest weight in the mix, accounting for 55% of electricity generation in the region.

As for the installation of new renewable capacity, as in 2021 when only 7 MW were installed, the figures are discouraging: only 50 MW of wind power were added in the whole of 2022. It is striking that no solar MW was installed in the same year that nationally all records were broken with 4,500 MW installed.

Doubling of the renewable park in Navarre
The positive side comes from the processing of future renewable projects; thanks to the milestone for the approval of environmental impact statements set on 25 January this year by RDL23/2020, 2022 has seen the processing of a multitude of projects. In Navarre, adding together the projects processed by the ministry and the region, 1,800 MW have received a favourable resolution and can continue the process to be installed in the coming years. Of these 1,800 MW, it is estimated that 75% are photovoltaic and 25% wind. Bearing in mind that there are currently just over 1,500 MW of wind and photovoltaic power in Navarre, this means that in the next few years the installed renewable energy park in the region could double, bringing us closer to the regional, national and European targets.

All the data can be consulted on the REE website.